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Does anyone know how loud Civil War cannons were. I'm interested in particular how loud the cannons at Harper's Ferry were and how far away someone could hear them firing. Does anyone know of a website or source of information about the sounds of Civil War weapons? Thanks.
You know that is one of the most excellent questions I've read in a long time!
Just how loud where those things? What could one compare it to, nowadays? I've never been in the military so have not had the pleasure of firing a cannon or the like, but I'd imagine that today's 'cannons' would sound differnet from those during the CW.
Let our ordinance experts give this a shot.
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Surely some re enactors could say. Don't they use cannon?I would imagine they would sound different than todays weapons since they used black powder and cannon balls instead of shells.
Reenactors don't use a real load, so would imagine the sound is different. Even then, it makes a pretty good rip-snortin' teeth-rattlin' thump (as opposed to a crack!)
How far away they could be heard is a whole 'nother matter as topopgraphy and weather conditions played a large part. Twenty miles is not out of the question, given the topography and weather conditions. There are a number of instances where they couldn't be heard 2 miles away due to an "accoustic shadow." (Sound waves are absorbed by foliage and/or deflected by solid obstructions or atmospheric conditions.) I'd guess 10 miles didn't take ideal conditions and might be about normal.
Harper's Ferry was well shielded on the north and east. I'm suspecting you were wondering if they could hear it from South Mountain or Fox's Gap. I recollect reading that Jackson's assault could be heard from Fox's Gap. How far that is in air miles, I don't know.
Ole
Ole
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IIRC the modern re-enactor is only using a 1/3 -2/3 charge depending upon the gun and no cannon ball or shell. So there is less compression and thus less bang. That said a lot would depend upon the environment, atmospheric pressure, raining or not etc. Regardless, a battery of guns going w/ great enthusiasm would have been a rather earth shattering experiance... and likely quite scary to be on the receiving end of.
Two shots a minute x 4-6 guns; a regular roll of man made thunder... now imagine Ruggles grand battery (better than 50 guns) or the barrage at Gettysburg. There is documentation that barrage was heard over 100 miles away.
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we do n-ssa shooting, we use a real shell, although the load is not as high as was used in the war, due to safety.
but they are very loud. We have a parrot that we shoot, and it is quite loud, although some of the smoothbores can make you jump right out of you skin!
when we don't go down to watch the competition, I guess we are probably 300 yrds away back at the campers, and it sounds like loud rumbling, I guess you might be able to hear it from a couple of miles away.
But Mike would deffinatly be better able to answer your question, he has been doing this for much longer than I, and he actually gets to work the gun, where I get to hold the darn flags... sigh...
anyway, I will have him check out this thread, but to keep you occupied in the mean time you can check out our battery website www.1njla.com
All I can offer is an anecdote about a small event I went to, in a city park, with one half-size reproduction cannon... the "bang" set off car alarms all over the neighborhood!
Surely some re enactors could say. Don't they use cannon?I would imagine they would sound different than todays weapons since they used black powder and cannon balls instead of shells.
Pinckney
Not trying to pe pickey but I think it is relative to the discussion. Civil war cannon did use explosive shells, which would have contributed to the noise.
I know from personal experience that one CW 3 inch ordnance rifle using a half charge and not shotted can be heard from over a mile away.
Being an old Navy gunner on 3 inch 50 Cal. (not the same as rifle cal.) weapons, the loudest in terms of the gun crews at the time since they wern't in turrets. (I really wouldn't want to be on deck around eight inch or sixteen inch guns firing) I can testify that they don't sound the same in terms of the report of the gun on firing. The older guns have a deep boom the modern guns have a crack. They are all loud.
In terms of sustanined racket, I think that it would take a pretty good group of CW guns to equal my twin mount which could fire upwards of 100 rounds per min.
Doug,
My uncle Joe was on a cruiser in WWII, and they went to action stations in response to a kamikazi. He was on a 40mm AA crew and was rushing to his station when the 8 inch fired, knocking him off his feet, and damaging his hearing. His noise suppressors weren't where they were supposed to be, and I believe his hearing loss began at that time.
This is a little off topic, but weren't there cases of "Acoustical Shadow" when nearby shooting couldn't be heard, while more distant firing could?
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Question regarding sounds of weapons 
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